Chair.



NTTED STATES PATENT OFFTCE.

LEIGHTON G. FULLAM, OF LUDLOW, VERMONT.

CHAIR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEIGHTON G. F ULLAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ludlow, in the county of lVindsor and State of Vermont, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to chairs, but has reference, more particularlystated, to chairseats, and has for its object the production of aninexpensive, durable, and comfortable flexible seat or chair-bottomwhich may readily be applied to chair frames by skilled or unskilledpersons alike, and which therefore greatly facilitates the shipment ofchair parts in knock down form or the storage of same in quantities.

, The invention will be hereinafter particularly described and pointedout in the claims following.

In the accompanying drawings which form part of this application, andwhereon corresponding reference numerals indicate like parts in theseveral views: Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through thechair-seat, its front and back seat rails, Fig. 2 is an edge view of anindividual seat-slat, on a somewhat enlarged scale, showing also theoppositely arranged seat-supporting means in transverse section. Fig. 3is a fragmentary view in horizontal section of the invention, and, Fig.4l is also a fragmentary view, showing in perspective the end of oneseat-Slat and a portion of a flexible support therefor.

Reference being had to the drawings and numerals thereon, l indicatesthe front legs or chair posts, 2 the back legs or chair posts, an arm,and #l a connecting rung of a chair-frame, all of ordinary construction,and common to chairs generally whether rocking or stationary, movable orimmovable.

Connecting the front legs or posts 1, 1 at the usual seat level, by amortised and glued, or any approved form of joint is a front seat-rail5; while in like manner connecting the back legs or posts 2, 2 is acorresponding back seat-rail 6 both of which are fixed with relation tothe chair frame.

rail 5 projects inwardly a cleat or base 7 Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed November 11, 1908.

Patented J an. 4, 1910. Serial No. 462,048.

which may be an integral part of said rail, or rigidly affixed thereto;or, if so desired said cleat may be omitted without rendering theinvention inoperative. Located adjacent to the front rail 5, andpreferably resting upon a xed cleat or base such as 7 is a relativelyfixed seat-slat 8, while parallel with the latter, and like it extendingfrom side to side of the chair, is a succession of abutting seat-slats 9each substantially rectangular in cross section, as indicated by Fig. 1of the drawings. At the back edge of said series of seat-slats 9 is aborder slat 10 by preference of angular form in cross section, having asindicated by Fig. 1, its rear surface dressed off as at 11 and abuttingthe back rail G to facilitate a comparatively quick drop of the seat atthis point.

Each of the seat-slats S, 9 and 10, at corresponding points near theiropposite ends, are undercut and slotted inwardly as at 12, 12, andthrough these slots are iiexibly connected, by flexible metallic stripsor similar suspending and supporting means 13. This flexible connectionextends transversely through the chair-seat from front to back and inany event should project beyond the entire series of seat-slats impaledthereon. Mortised into the front and back seat-rails 5 and 6respectively, upon opposite sides of the chair center, and at pointscorrespond ing with the position of the inner portions of slots 12, 12aforesaid, are pockets or recesses 14, 14 adapted to receive the ends ofthe suspending and supporting strips 13, which latter are thereuponfirmly secured by agency of screws 15, 15 passed vertically through saidpockets and strips as shown. Obviously, bolts, pins or pintles of anydescription may be substituted for the screws 15, and in like mannerother modifications may be made and substituted for the partshereinbefore described without departing from the spirit of theinvention. But it will be noted by the drawings that in the preferredform of this invention each of said seat-slats is undercut at both endsand slotted inwardly beyond said undercut portions whereby in assemblingthe parts the overhanging portions of the ends of the slats serve toguide the flexible metallic strips 13 into the said slotted portions ofthe seatslats.

Having thus described my invention, it will be particularly noted thatthe component parts thereof may be readily assembled Cir to produce achair frame of unusual stability, buying a. llexible suspension seatWliicli readily conforms itself to tlie contour of an occupant, andmaterially contributes to tlie general el'iciency, durability andpracticnbility of the chair.

Therefore, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

ln a chair the combination With the posts and front and back seat-rails,of flexible metallic strips, slats undercut at their ends and slottedinwardly beyond said undercut portions, whereby in assembling the partsthe overhanging portions of the ends of the slats serve to guide thestrips into t-lie slotted portions of the slats, the seat-rails beingformed With recesses to receive the ends of the strips, and means forsecuring the ends of the strips in said recesses.

In testimony whereof aliiX my signature, in presence of tWo subscribingWitnesses,

LEIGHTON G. FULLAM. Witnesses z GRACE Limmen, BER'ri-IA MOORE.

